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NXNE a little bruised up from the Monotonix

Who says that a concert has to be on the designated stage the venue has supplied? According to the Monotonix, the wildest band to come from Israel or maybe the world, their stage consists of the venue floor, the bar, on top of the drum kit or in the hands of fans. The Monotonix played a series of shows as part of the North By Northeast Music Festival and Conference this past weekend.

Their antics are notorious, their live shows are legendary and I had the chance to experience said anarchy at the Bovine Sex Club on June 12.

Before the show, I was briefed about just how out of control their concerts tend to get. I was informed that they carry their equipment with them throughout the venue during their set, so they are constantly moving around. But that was all I had heard. What I didn’t know is that the show at times was going to seem so out of control that I was going to fear for my safety.

At first the show started out like a normal concert; on stage and in control. Then the lead singer jumped off the stage and ran through the audience, followed by another guitarist who lifted the drum kit off the stage and into the audience. This doesn’t sound so bad right?

Now comes the chaos. The lead singer gets on top of the bar, sprays the audience with his beer, takes the microphone, puts it between his legs and then continues to sing with it. If that’s not enough during the course of the evening, he moons the audience several times, crowd surfs, dives into crowds of people and pours beer on to someone’s head.

That’s what you come to expect with the Monotonix. If you don’t enjoy that kind of experience then get out of the venue or don’t go, because it’s hard not to watch the show without involuntarily becoming part of it.

So even though there were times I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it out unscathed, it was an awesome live show, and something worth experiencing. I would call it a concert but really it was like watching an out of control frat house party with music playing in the background.

Here is a taste of what you can expect, if you get the opportunity to see them live.